Charles Ebden
Encyclopedia
Charles Hotson Ebden was an Australian pastoralist and politician.
Ebden was born in 1811 at the Cape of Good Hope
in the Cape Colony
, the son of merchant and banker John Bardwell Ebden and his wife Antoinetta. He was educated in England and also in Karlsruhe
in the German Confederation
.
As a young man Ebden made several trips between the Cape and the Australian colonies, before settling in Sydney
, New South Wales
in 1832 and establishing a merchant business. After accumulating sufficient capital, he moved into pastoralism
, and by early 1835 was among those pastoralists introducing cattle to the southern parts of New South Wales. He established a run at Tarcutta Creek
, before his stockman, William Wyse, commenced two more runs straddling the Murray River
: Mungabareena, near what is now Albury, New South Wales
, and Bonegilla, near what is now Bonegilla, Victoria
, making Ebden the first pastoralist to send cattle across the Murray.
Ebden hired Charles Bonney
midway through 1836 to manage the stations on the Murray, but soon sent Bonney to search for an overland cattle route to Melbourne
and the other settled parts of the Port Phillip District
. The Ovens River
was in flood during Bonney's first attempt, and he was unable to find a way across, but a second attempt was commenced on 25 December 1836. Some accounts place Ebden with Bonney on this second journey, which was completed on 7 January when the party arrived in Melbourne, just days behind John Gardiner, Joseph Hawdon
and John Hepburn
, the first to bring cattle overland from New South Wales.
By about March 1837 Ebden was moving his sheep south from the Murray, and was observed in May of that year near the Goulburn River
; his flock was estimated to consist of nine thousand sheep, suggesting the backing of capital of about £20,000. He was in Melbourne in the middle of the year in time for the first land sale, held on 1 June 1837, at which one hundred lots of just under 0.5 acre (0.202343 ha) each were auctioned (the lots covered eight major blocks, bounded by Flinders Street
, Bourke Street
, King Street
and Swanston Street
). Ebden was among the major purchases, buying three lots in Collins Street
between Queen Street
and William Street
. Later in 1837 he established a station on the Campaspe River
, naming it Carlsruhe (near what is now Carlsruhe, Victoria
), in doing so becoming the first pastoralist to settle in the Port Phillip District north of the Great Dividing Range
.
Ebden lived in Melbourne from about 1840, having sold Mungabareena station in 1837 and Carlsruhe station in 1840. He had also sold his three lots in Collins Street in September 1839 for a total of £10,244 (having purchased them two years earlier for £136); at the Melbourne Club
shortly after the sale he remarked "I fear I am becoming disgustingly rich". In Melbourne Ebden lived in a mansion he had built at the top end of Collins Street.
Under the New South Wales Constitution Act 1842, the electors of the Port Phillip District were able to elect six of the thirty-six members of the Legislative Council of New South Wales, and at the first elections on 1 June 1843, Ebden was comfortably elected as one of the six, with the most votes of any Port Phillip candidate. He resigned on 31 March 1844, but was elected again on 1 March 1848, only to resign again on 20 June of that year, since he "could no longer lend himself to the perpetration of what was only a farce". Ebden was nevertheless elected for a third time on 1 June 1850, and remained a member until the separation of Port Phillip District from New South Wales to form the new Colony of Victoria
on 1 July 1851.
In either 1847 or 1848, Ebden married Tamar Harding; the couple would later have two daughters and one son.
In July 1851 Ebden was made auditor-general in the new independent government of Victoria, which entitled him to a seat in the Legislative Council of Victoria. While little is known about the operation of the Audit Office at the time (and in particular, the division of responsibilities between that department and the Treasury is unclear) he seems to have been broadly responsible for every aspect of public finance in the new colony. The commencement of the Victorian gold rush
, with the consequent difficulties of auditing state revenues generated from gold and the explosion in necessary public works expenditure, was the most notable feature of Ebden's time as Auditor-General. Ebden, along with Attorney-General William Stawell, was a well-regarded performer among the early government officers, but did not work well with Lieutenant-Governor La Trobe
, and was excluded from the Executive Council. Ebden resigned in October 1852 after seemingly becoming disaffected with the direction of the government, and becoming "tired of having responsibility without power".
In 1854 Ebden travelled to England
, returning in 1856. Later that year he arranged for the construction of a holiday house, Black Rock House, which was completed in 1858; it was located near Brighton, Victoria
(at what is now Ebden Avenue in Black Rock
). At one point Ebden rented the house for six months to the Governor of Victoria, Sir Henry Barkly
.
Also in 1856, Ebden stood for election to the newly established Legislative Assembly of Victoria in the district of Melbourne
. Linked to the faction of John O'Shanassy
, which sought to position itself as something of an opposition to the incumbent government of William Haines
, but Ebden failed to be elected; indeed, he finished last. In March 1857 however, he was elected in the district of Brighton
, and was Treasurer of Victoria
under Haines' second government.
Ebden maintained his pastoralist interests alongside his parliamentary career. In the late 1850s he owned nearly 500000 acres (202,343 ha) near Kerang
. In 1858 he and his son-in-law subdivided the 370000 acres (149,733.8 ha) Reedy Lake run near Swan Hill
, selling one lot to Thomas Browne
for £24,000; serendipitously the exorbitant price seems to have pushed Browne into insolvency, prompting him to commence his literary career under the pen-name Rolf Boldrewood.
Ebden was aligned with Premier William Nicholson
following the 1859 election, but declined to join Nicholson's ministry on the basis that his perceived views on land reform would jeopardise the passage of Nicholson's land reform legislation (which ultimately became the Land Act 1860). He reconciled with O'Shanassy in 1860, and after the defeat of the Nicholson government in November of that year, the two provided a base of conservative support for a more radical ministry led by Richard Heales
, who succeeded Nicholson as Premier. However, they provided Heales with little real support, and indeed Ebden left the Legislative Assembly and returned to England in May 1861.
Ebden remained in England for the next five years, but was in poor health for much of that time, suffering asthma
. He became healthier upon his return to Victoria, but at the Melbourne Club on 28 October 1867 he died. He left his estate, worth approximately £100,000, to his wife and his children.
Ebden was born in 1811 at the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
in the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
, the son of merchant and banker John Bardwell Ebden and his wife Antoinetta. He was educated in England and also in Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
in the German Confederation
German Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
.
As a young man Ebden made several trips between the Cape and the Australian colonies, before settling in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in 1832 and establishing a merchant business. After accumulating sufficient capital, he moved into pastoralism
Pastoralism
Pastoralism or pastoral farming is the branch of agriculture concerned with the raising of livestock. It is animal husbandry: the care, tending and use of animals such as camels, goats, cattle, yaks, llamas, and sheep. It may have a mobile aspect, moving the herds in search of fresh pasture and...
, and by early 1835 was among those pastoralists introducing cattle to the southern parts of New South Wales. He established a run at Tarcutta Creek
Tarcutta, New South Wales
Tarcutta is a small town located 438 km south-west of Sydney, three kilometres east of the Hume Highway, in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed as a village on 28 October 1890...
, before his stockman, William Wyse, commenced two more runs straddling the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
: Mungabareena, near what is now Albury, New South Wales
Albury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
, and Bonegilla, near what is now Bonegilla, Victoria
Bonegilla, Victoria
Bonegilla is a bounded rural locality of the City of Wodonga Local Government Area in northeast Victoria, Australia, located 10 kilometres east of Wodonga, and around 300km north-east of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Bonegilla and surrounding area had a population of 773.- History :Bonegilla Post...
, making Ebden the first pastoralist to send cattle across the Murray.
Ebden hired Charles Bonney
Charles Bonney
Charles Bonney was a pioneer and politician in Australia.-Early life:Bonney was the youngest son of the Rev. George Bonney, a fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, and his wife Susanna, née Knight. He was born at Sandon, near Stafford, Staffordshire, England...
midway through 1836 to manage the stations on the Murray, but soon sent Bonney to search for an overland cattle route to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and the other settled parts of the Port Phillip District
Port Phillip District
The Port Phillip District was an historical administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales, existing from September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria....
. The Ovens River
Ovens River
The Ovens River is a river in the Australian state of Victoria.Hamilton Hume and William Hovell explored the area in 1824, naming the Ovens River...
was in flood during Bonney's first attempt, and he was unable to find a way across, but a second attempt was commenced on 25 December 1836. Some accounts place Ebden with Bonney on this second journey, which was completed on 7 January when the party arrived in Melbourne, just days behind John Gardiner, Joseph Hawdon
Joseph Hawdon
Joseph Hawdon was a pioneer settler and overlander of Australia and New Zealand.Hawdon was born at Wackerfield, Durham, England, the son of John Hawdon. At the suggestion of his brother elder brother John , he decided to travel to Australia, arriving in Sydney in November 1834...
and John Hepburn
John Stuart Hepburn
John Stuart Hepburn was an early pastoralist and landholder in Victoria, Australia.Hepburn was born in Scotland in 1800. He initially became a seafaring man and progressed to become a Master of a 226 ton brig, The Alice. In 1835 the Alice sailed for Hobart...
, the first to bring cattle overland from New South Wales.
By about March 1837 Ebden was moving his sheep south from the Murray, and was observed in May of that year near the Goulburn River
Goulburn River
Goulburn River may refer to:* Goulburn River , Australia* Goulburn River , Australia...
; his flock was estimated to consist of nine thousand sheep, suggesting the backing of capital of about £20,000. He was in Melbourne in the middle of the year in time for the first land sale, held on 1 June 1837, at which one hundred lots of just under 0.5 acre (0.202343 ha) each were auctioned (the lots covered eight major blocks, bounded by Flinders Street
Flinders Street, Melbourne
Flinders Street is a notable street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Running roughly parallel to the Yarra River, Flinders Street forms the southern edge of the Hoddle Grid. It is exactly one mile in length and one and half chains in width...
, Bourke Street
Bourke Street, Melbourne
Bourke Street is one of Melbourne's best known streets. Historically been regarded as Melbourne's "second street", with the main street being Collins Street and "busier than Bourke Street" is a popular catchphrase. Bourke Street has traditionally been Melbourne's entertainment hub...
, King Street
King Street, Melbourne
King Street is a main street in the Melbourne central business district. King Street is part of the Pacific Highway, and used to be part of National Route 1 until the city by-pass road linking the Monash Freeway with the Westgate Freeway was completed...
and Swanston Street
Swanston Street, Melbourne
Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. It is historically one of the main streets of central Melbourne, laid out in 1837 as part of the Hoddle Grid, the layout of major streets that makes up the central business district...
). Ebden was among the major purchases, buying three lots in Collins Street
Collins Street, Melbourne
Collins Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district and runs approximately east to west.It is notable as Melbourne's traditional main street and best known street, is often regarded as Australia's premier street, with some of the country's finest Victorian era buildings.The...
between Queen Street
Queen Street, Melbourne
Queen Street is a street in the Melbourne central business district, forming part of the famous Hoddle Grid. It runs roughly from north to south. The northern end of Queen Street intersects with Victoria Street, while its southern end intersects with Flinders Street...
and William Street
William Street, Melbourne
William Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs roughly north-south from Flinders Street to Victoria Street, and is located in the western half of the Hoddle Grid....
. Later in 1837 he established a station on the Campaspe River
Campaspe River
The Campaspe River is a river in Victoria, Australia. It was named by Major Mitchell in 1836 for Campaspe, a mistress of Alexander the Great.The river was known as yalooka by the local aboriginal people of the Rochester area.-Course:...
, naming it Carlsruhe (near what is now Carlsruhe, Victoria
Carlsruhe, Victoria
Carlsruhe is a small rural town in the Shire of Macedon Ranges between Woodend and Kyneton, alongside the old Calder Highway, although now bypassed bypassed by the Calder Freeway. It is approximately 50 minutes from both Melbourne and Bendigo...
), in doing so becoming the first pastoralist to settle in the Port Phillip District north of the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
.
Ebden lived in Melbourne from about 1840, having sold Mungabareena station in 1837 and Carlsruhe station in 1840. He had also sold his three lots in Collins Street in September 1839 for a total of £10,244 (having purchased them two years earlier for £136); at the Melbourne Club
Melbourne Club
The Melbourne Club is a male only club, established in 1839 and located at 36-50 Collins Street, Melbourne; adjacent to the women-only Lyceum Club. The club is made up of approximately 1500 members; admission being by invitation only...
shortly after the sale he remarked "I fear I am becoming disgustingly rich". In Melbourne Ebden lived in a mansion he had built at the top end of Collins Street.
Under the New South Wales Constitution Act 1842, the electors of the Port Phillip District were able to elect six of the thirty-six members of the Legislative Council of New South Wales, and at the first elections on 1 June 1843, Ebden was comfortably elected as one of the six, with the most votes of any Port Phillip candidate. He resigned on 31 March 1844, but was elected again on 1 March 1848, only to resign again on 20 June of that year, since he "could no longer lend himself to the perpetration of what was only a farce". Ebden was nevertheless elected for a third time on 1 June 1850, and remained a member until the separation of Port Phillip District from New South Wales to form the new Colony of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
on 1 July 1851.
In either 1847 or 1848, Ebden married Tamar Harding; the couple would later have two daughters and one son.
In July 1851 Ebden was made auditor-general in the new independent government of Victoria, which entitled him to a seat in the Legislative Council of Victoria. While little is known about the operation of the Audit Office at the time (and in particular, the division of responsibilities between that department and the Treasury is unclear) he seems to have been broadly responsible for every aspect of public finance in the new colony. The commencement of the Victorian gold rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
, with the consequent difficulties of auditing state revenues generated from gold and the explosion in necessary public works expenditure, was the most notable feature of Ebden's time as Auditor-General. Ebden, along with Attorney-General William Stawell, was a well-regarded performer among the early government officers, but did not work well with Lieutenant-Governor La Trobe
Charles La Trobe
Charles Joseph La Trobe was the first lieutenant-governor of the colony of Victoria .-Early life:La Trobe was born in London, the son of Christian Ignatius Latrobe, a family of Huguenot origin...
, and was excluded from the Executive Council. Ebden resigned in October 1852 after seemingly becoming disaffected with the direction of the government, and becoming "tired of having responsibility without power".
In 1854 Ebden travelled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, returning in 1856. Later that year he arranged for the construction of a holiday house, Black Rock House, which was completed in 1858; it was located near Brighton, Victoria
Brighton, Victoria
Brighton is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Brighton had a population of 20,651...
(at what is now Ebden Avenue in Black Rock
Black Rock, Victoria
Black Rock is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 18 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Black Rock had a population of 5796.-History:...
). At one point Ebden rented the house for six months to the Governor of Victoria, Sir Henry Barkly
Henry Barkly
Sir Henry Barkly, GCMG, KCB, FRS, FRGS was a British politician, colonial governor and patron of the sciences.-Early life and education:...
.
Also in 1856, Ebden stood for election to the newly established Legislative Assembly of Victoria in the district of Melbourne
Electoral district of Melbourne
The Electoral district of Melbourne is an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It is currently based around the localities of Carlton, North Carlton, Melbourne, East Melbourne, West Melbourne, North Melbourne, Parkville, Newmarket, Kensington and Flemington, and includes Melbourne...
. Linked to the faction of John O'Shanassy
John O'Shanassy
Sir John O'Shanassy, KCMG , Australian colonial politician, was the 2nd Premier of Victoria. O'Shanassy was born near Thurles in County Tipperary, Ireland, the son of a surveyor, and came to the Port Phillip District in 1839...
, which sought to position itself as something of an opposition to the incumbent government of William Haines
William Haines (Australian politician)
Dr William Clark Haines , Australian colonial politician, was the first Premier of Victoria.Haines was born in London, the son of John Haines, a physician. He was educated at Charterhouse School and Caius College, Cambridge, where he graduated in medicine; he later practiced surgery for several years...
, but Ebden failed to be elected; indeed, he finished last. In March 1857 however, he was elected in the district of Brighton
Electoral district of Brighton
The Electoral district of Brighton is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.-Members for Brighton:-Election results:-See also:* Parliaments of the Australian states and territories...
, and was Treasurer of Victoria
Treasurer of Victoria
The Treasurer of Victoria is the title held by the Cabinet Minister who is responsible for the financial management of Victoria’s budget sector. This primarily includes:* preparation and delivery of the annual State Budget;...
under Haines' second government.
Ebden maintained his pastoralist interests alongside his parliamentary career. In the late 1850s he owned nearly 500000 acres (202,343 ha) near Kerang
Kerang, Victoria
Kerang is a rural town on the Loddon River in northern Victoria in Australia. It is the commercial centre to an irrigation district based on livestock, horticulture, lucerne and grain. It is located north-west of Melbourne on the Murray Valley Highway a few kilometres north of its intersection...
. In 1858 he and his son-in-law subdivided the 370000 acres (149,733.8 ha) Reedy Lake run near Swan Hill
Swan Hill, Victoria
Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Murray Valley Highway, on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At the 2006 census, Swan Hill had a population of 9,684.-History:...
, selling one lot to Thomas Browne
Thomas Alexander Browne
Thomas Alexander Browne was an Australian writer, who sometimes published under the pseudonym Rolf Boldrewood and best known for his novel Robbery Under Arms.-Biography:...
for £24,000; serendipitously the exorbitant price seems to have pushed Browne into insolvency, prompting him to commence his literary career under the pen-name Rolf Boldrewood.
Ebden was aligned with Premier William Nicholson
William Nicholson (Australian politician)
William Nicholson was an Australian colonial politician who became the third Premier of Victoria. He is remembered for having been called the "father of the ballot" due to his responsibility in introducing the secret ballot in Victoria.Nicholson was born in Whitehaven, Cumberland, the son of an...
following the 1859 election, but declined to join Nicholson's ministry on the basis that his perceived views on land reform would jeopardise the passage of Nicholson's land reform legislation (which ultimately became the Land Act 1860). He reconciled with O'Shanassy in 1860, and after the defeat of the Nicholson government in November of that year, the two provided a base of conservative support for a more radical ministry led by Richard Heales
Richard Heales
Richard Heales , Victorian colonial politician, was the 4th Premier of Victoria.Heales was born in London, the son of an ironmonger. He was apprenticed as a coachbuilder and migrated to Victoria with his father in 1842. He worked for some years as a labourer before establishing himself as a...
, who succeeded Nicholson as Premier. However, they provided Heales with little real support, and indeed Ebden left the Legislative Assembly and returned to England in May 1861.
Ebden remained in England for the next five years, but was in poor health for much of that time, suffering asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
. He became healthier upon his return to Victoria, but at the Melbourne Club on 28 October 1867 he died. He left his estate, worth approximately £100,000, to his wife and his children.